“Lying doesn’t do any good,” he sing-songed.
“Neither does pointing out the obvious.” I took a deep inhale. I needed all the calm I could muster to face this day. “What’s gotten you in such a good mood? Find anything amiss?”
If anybody could discover the traitor, that was Dax. Ryker hadn’t brought the attackers into the passage, or that cursed dagger on Sanctua Sirena–he denied it, at least–so someone was toying with our lives.
“Listen, we need to discuss what you consider strange, because this entire place runs on different rules,” he said. “Then there’s this strange fellow who keeps drinking raw goat milk every day? Andbragsabout it in the city square?”
I huffed a sad laugh through my nose. “Krysor loves his goats.”
“Everyone has such a precise schedule, from their training hours, down to cleaning the fortress. And they never stray from it. It’s almost like they’re not human. One guy who looks like a bear actually goes to the arena five minutes early. Every. Single. Day.”
“Does he have an eye patch?”
“No, red, scraggly beard, not blond.”
“That’s Krynn.” Who was, indeed, built like a bear and probably just as dangerous in close range; that mace of his looked like it could do serious damage.
“Vylkor mostly watches. Too closely in my opinion, but I haven’t found anything wrong with him other than his obsession with his weapon. He sharpens it every night, just to not use it the next day.” He threw his hands in the air. “They’re too precise. In everything. Apart from a few affairs and indulging in one too many wine carafes when it gets colder, they don’t stray from their routine.”
“Which makes them easier to track.”
“Yeah.” He sighed, disappointed. “Takes all the fun out of it.”
“Quite unfortunate that these people mind their business.” Which only made the betrayal that much more surprising. Why incriminate their Commander and risk the crater when their lives were so sorted? Unless someone hated the order. “Then what’s with the grin?”
Because Dax was beaming and it didn’t feel all that natural, nor the hectic energy the truth serum usually gave him.
“I plan on being in complete and utter denial of our current circumstances today,” he declared cheerfully and deposited a fresh stack of parchments onto the table, almost covering the palaver journal. He wrinkled his nose. “Is that it?”
“Yep.”
I’d opened its scarred, yellow pages already, in anticipation for the moment Ryker would open his end of the portal. I didn’t even know what hour the wedding was supposed to start.
“Fantastic.” Dax licked his teeth. “At least we don’t have to dress up and make small talk with those small-minded advisors.”
“Yeah. Lucky us.”
“There’s nothing we can do right now. So why bother? We have plenty of other things to stress over. Things we can actuallycontrol.” He placed his hands on my shoulders. “For some ungodly reason, Evie cares for this new groom of hers. Sheislucky to have that.”
“You’re right,” I said, despite the unrest drumming through me. “She actuallywantsto marry him.”
“Each to their own. You seem to like that brooding giant of yours.” He shivered dramatically. “But if Evie’s happy, we can be happy for her.”
Dax’s theatrics managed to draw a smile from me. Just because my little life seemed on the brink of collapse didn’t mean others’ were as well.
Yet a strange weariness still clung to my shoulders, almost like it wasn’t mine to bear. Maybe Ryker’s suspicious ways were leaving their unwanted mark on me. “We can very much be happy for her.”
I truly was.Ifshe loved this Dragon of hers andifthey were truly fated mates, then shewasblessed. With her new power and that kind soul of hers, nothing would be able to stop her.
“Excellent.” Dax patted my shoulders, giving me more strength.
I scraped the chair away from the table, took another deep breath, and let Dax’s forced zest lull my weariness away.
“Let’s get to work,” I said. “We have a wedding to attend.”
“That’s the spirit.” Dax smiled and instantly began scribbling faster than normal.
Time slipped away in tune with the quill, my eyes rushing over every line it scarred onto the paper.
